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Indigenous education and training

Education is generally considered to be a key factor in improving outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, with many studies having shown that improved health and socioeconomic status are directly linked to educational participation and achievement. A range of issues, however, affect participation in education for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, including: access to educational institutions, financial constraints, and community expectations. While targeted programs aim to improve outcomes in some educational areas, Indigenous students continue to engage in education and training at lower rates of participation and achieve lower levels of educational attainment than for all Australian students.

This article examines the participation of Indigenous students in each of the education sectors: schooling, vocational education and training, and higher education.

Indigenous school students

In 2002 there were 82,467 full-time plus full-time equivalent (FTE) of part-time Indigenous students attending primary schools and a further 39,618 Indigenous students (FTE) attending secondary schools.

Most Indigenous students (88%) attended government schools in 2002. Of the remainder attending non-government schools, most were attending Catholic schools (66%) (table S10.1). The increase in ungraded students between primary and secondary education is mostly attributable to the ungraded classification of secondary-age students attending Northern Territory remote Homeland Learning Centres. This is due to the difficulty of classifying such students in terms of the standard secondary grade structure.

Graph S10.2 shows that, for government schools, numbers of Indigenous school students (FTE) decline with each successive year level post Pre-year 1. While there is a gradual decline from Year 1 to Year 7, it is accelerated in secondary schooling as Indigenous students complete compulsory schooling, and particularly from Year 10 to Year 11. At non-government schools, school student numbers (FTE) remain steady from Year 1 to Year 7, then increase to a higher level for Years 8 to 10 as some students of government schools move to non-government schools.

Table S10.3 shows a 20% increase in Indigenous students attending school between 1998 and 2002. Over this period, attendance at school increased from 102,488 to 122,085 students (FTE). While New South Wales and Queensland experienced the largest increases in Indigenous school attendance (by 7,072 and 5,607 students (FTE) respectively), growth was proportionally greatest for the Australian Capital Territory (27%) and Victoria (26%).

Increased attendance by Indigenous students was evident at both primary and secondary levels. This was the case in every state and territory, except the Northern Territory, where attendance at primary schools fell by less than 1%. Growth in Indigenous students over the period was greater at the secondary level (24%) than at the primary level (17%).

S10.3 INDIGENOUS SCHOOL STUDENTS (FTE)(a), By level of education - August

NSW

Vic.

Qld

SA

WA

Tas.

NT

ACT(b)

Aust.

Primary

1998

19,185

3,412

19,242

4,511

11,697

2,422

9,629

475

70,572

2002

23,283

4,270

22,845

5,123

13,828

2,862

9,609

648

82,467

Secondary

1998

9,941

1,750

8,712

1,543

4,470

1,709

3,440

350

31,915

2002

12,915

2,223

10,716

1,982

5,659

2,013

3,708

402

39,618

Total

1998

29,126

5,162

27,954

6,054

16,167

4,131

13,068

825

102,488

2002

36,198

6,493

33,561

7,105

19,487

4,875

13,317

1,049

122,085

(a) Full-time students plus full-time equivalent of part-time students.(b) Includes one government primary school in Jervis Bay Territory.

The growth in retention of Indigenous students in senior secondary schooling has been notable over the five-year period ending 2002. The apparent retention rate for Indigenous students from Year 7/8 to Year 12 rose 5.9 percentage points from 1998 to 2002 compared to a rise of 3.6 percentage points for non-Indigenous students over the same period. Nonetheless, the rate of retention of Indigenous students in secondary schools remains substantially below that for non-Indigenous students. The apparent retention rate for Indigenous students commencing in Year 7/8 and continuing to Year 12 was 38%, compared to 76% for non-Indigenous students (table S10.4).

(a) Full-time students only. From the commencement of secondary school, which is Year 7 in NSW, Vic.,Tas., and the ACT and Year 8 in Qld, SA, WA and the NT.

Source: ABS 2002.

Indigenous VET students

In 2002, 53% of Indigenous vocational education and training (VET) clients were male. In all geographic regions, the number of male Indigenous clients outnumbered their female counterparts (table S10.5). Some 26% of Indigenous clients were located in capital cities compared with 57% of all clients, and a further 28% of Indigenous clients were located in remote areas compared with 3% of all clients.

(a) Includes all vocational and preparatory courses delivered by TAFE and other government providers, registered community providers, and publicly funded delivery by private providers that lead to a vocational award. Excludes enrolments in fee-for-service VET courses of private providers, and schools data submitted by states and territories.(b) A client is any individual participating in a specific enrolment or training contract with a specific organisation.(c) Includes Indigenous students whose sex is unknown.(d) Includes 'Indigenous status not stated' and students studying outside Australia.

Source: National Centre for Vocational Education Research, National Vocational Education Collection, data available on request.

Since clients may be enrolled in more than one VET course, the number of course enrolments is greater than the total number of clients. There were 79,600 Indigenous course enrolments in 2002 compared with 62,000 Indigenous clients.

In 2002 there were more Indigenous enrolments (25%) in multi-field VET courses (including school courses offered in VET institutions) than in other courses (table S10.6). Management and commerce (15%) and Society and culture (14%) were the next most popular fields of education. By way of contrast, the most popular fields of education for non-Indigenous VET students, were in Management and commerce (22%), Engineering and related studies (15%) and Society and culture (12%).

(a) Includes all vocational and preparatory courses delivered by TAFE and other government providers, registered community providers, and publicly funded delivery by private providers that lead to a vocational award. Enrolments in fee-for-service VET courses of private providers have been excluded.

Source: National Centre for Vocational Education Research, National Vocational Education Collection, data available on request.

The number of Indigenous apprentices and trainees has increased by 75%, from 4,000 in 1998 to 7,000 in 2002. Over the same period, the growth in non-Indigenous apprentices and trainees was 104%. Indigenous apprentices and trainees represented 1.9% of all apprentices and trainees in 2002, compared to 1.8% in 1998.

Indigenous higher education students

In 2002, 8,871 Indigenous students were enrolled in higher education, an increase of 2.4% on enrolments in 2001. Table S10.7 shows the distribution of Indigenous higher education student enrolments across the states and territories. In 2002, 4,246 Indigenous students commenced higher education study, an increase of 2.8% on the level of commencing students in 2001.

Overall, females (63%) represented the greater proportion of Indigenous higher education students in 2002. The equivalent proportion among all higher education students was 54%. The proportion of female Indigenous students was higher in the Northern Territory, South Australia and Western Australia (68%, 65% and 64% respectively).

S10.7 INDIGENOUS HIGHER EDUCATION STUDENTS(a) - 2002

Commencing students

All students

Units

Males

Females

Persons

Males

Females

Persons

New South Wales

no.

435

556

991

948

1,390

2,338

Victoria

no.

137

214

351

346

524

870

Queensland

no.

310

514

824

677

1,146

1,823

South Australia

no.

84

145

229

185

349

534

Western Australia

no.

318

498

816

556

984

1,540

Tasmania

no.

46

58

104

98

149

247

Northern Territory

no.

216

512

728

333

719

1,052

Australian Capital Territory

no.

39

52

91

86

109

195

Multi-state(b)

no.

30

82

112

63

209

272

Total

no.

1,615

2,631

4,246

3,292

5,579

8,871

Change from 2001

%

7.8

0.0

2.8

5.1

0.9

2.4

(a) Students enrolled at anytime within the 12-month period 1 September to 31 August.(b) Multi-state institutions have campuses in more than one state and/or territory.

Source: DEST 2002.

Graph S10.8 illustrates the growth in Indigenous participation in higher education over the past decade. Between 1992 and 2002 the number of Indigenous students in higher education increased by 58% from 5,105 to 8,871.

Table S10.9 shows that in 2002 the fields of study with the largest numbers of Indigenous student enrolments were Society and culture (35%), Education (20%) and Health (13%). Some 70% of Indigenous students in higher education at 2002 were enrolled in courses leading to a Bachelor degree or higher level of qualification. This compares to 95% of all higher education students.

S10.9 INDIGENOUS HIGHER EDUCATION STUDENTS, By field of education and level of course-2002

Field of education

Postgraduate
degree

Graduate diploma/
Graduate certificate

Bachelor
degree

Advanced diploma/
Diploma

Other
education

Enabling
courses

Total(a)

Natural and physical sciences

18

6

223

1

2

7

257

Information technology

13

12

150

2

-

-

177

Engineering and related technologies

10

6

102

2

8

1

129

Architecture and building

5

-

45

-

-

-

50

Agriculture, environment and related studies

10

23

118

21

9

42

223

Health

67

89

739

238

9

13

1,155

Education

111

76

1,158

361

10

64

1,780

Management and commerce

106

68

601

7

4

-

786

Society and culture

257

86

1 981

496

19

294

3,133

Creative arts

41

25

370

95

3

149

683

Mixed field programmes

-

-

-

-

-

728

728

Total(a)(b)

638

391

5,209

1,223

64

1,298

8,871

(a) Includes a small number of non-award courses.(b) The data take into account the coding of combined courses to two fields of education. As a consequence, the data in the total row may be less than the sum of the data aggregated down each field of education.